Battery-operated light



March 5, 1968 D. w. ROWED ET AL 3,372,271

BATTERY-OPERATED LIGHT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 24, 1965 INVENTORS DOUGLAS W ROWED NORMAN D. CONRAN NEVILLE J PAR/(ER MAURICE L. COATES EDWARD L. SUMMERS fiw mwwx ATTORNEY March 5, 1968 D. w. ROWED ET AL 3,372,271

BATTERY-OPERATED LIGHT Filed Sept. 24, 1965 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS DOUGLAS W ROWED NORMAN D. CONRAN NEVILLE J PARKER MAURICE L. COATES EDWARD L. SUMMERS BY 2 C ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,372,271 BATTERY-OPERATED LIGHT Douglas W. Rowed, East Lindfield, New South Wales, Norman D. Com-an, Roseville, New South Wales, Neville J. Parker, Panania, New South Wales, Maurice L. Coates, Maroubra, New South Wales, and Edward L. Summers, Oyster Bay, New South Wales, Australia, assignors to Union Carbide Australia Limited, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a corporation of New South Wales Filed Sept. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 490,04S 4 Claims. (Cl. 240-1064) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A battery-operated light consisting of a container having therein a cluster of battery cells arranged to form a central space therebetween for reception of a carrier standard for an electric lamp, the carrier standard being provided with electrical contact means for making and breaking a circuit between the battery cells and the electric lamp when the carrier standard is elevated from a fully nested position within the central space defined by the battery cells.

This invention relates to lights of the battery-operated type, particularly though not exclusively adapted for use, for example, in nurseries and bedrooms.

According to the invention, a night light or the like comprises an electrically illuminable lamp, a carrier standard for lamp nestable within a central space defined by a cluster of battery cells, the arrangement being such that, on the lamp carrier being elevated from a completely nested position, or on being withdrawn, reversed and reinserted into said central space, contacts on said carrier are adapted to mate with contacts disposed in said central space whereby an electric lamp embodied in or on said lamp carrier will be illuminated by current then flowing from said cells.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a night light with its candle retracted,

FIG. 2 is a vertical section, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the night light of FIG. 1 but with said candle extended,

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken .on line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan viewed from the plane of the line 44 of FIG. 2.

In a practical embodiment of the present invention, which will now be described by way of example, a night light is constituted by a lamp carrier or standard in the form of a candle which may be transparent and which has mounted therein or thereon an electric lamp at or near its upper end, the contacts of a socket for said lamp being extended downwardly from said socket, through said candle, to terminate at the lower end of the candle as diametrically-opposed, outwardly extending terminals.

The candle as just described is adapted to be telescopically mounted within the somewhat star-shaped central space defined by a cluster of two pairs of cells arranged preferably in parallel disposition and electrically connected together in series-parallel relationship, the cells of one pair being mutually insulated and the cells of the other pair having their negative electrodes (for example, zinc container-electrodes) in physical and electrical contact one with the other. In such arrangement the positive electrodes of said one pair of cells are electrically con nected together and the negative electrode of each cell in said one pair is electrically connected to the positive I 3,372,271 Patented Mar. 5, 1968 ice terininal of each companion cell in said other pair of cel s.

The connecting lead for the positive electrodes of said one pair of cells is extended inwardly into the upper end of said central space in said cluster of cells so that, when said candle is elevated, the terminals extending from the lamp socket to the lower end of said candle bridge said connecting lead and the mutually contacting negative electrodes of said other pair of cells thereby to pass illuminating current to said lamp.

In greater detail and according to one construction, said candle may comprise an axially aligned pair of elements conveniently tubular and made from suitable transparent plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride or polystyrene, said elements being screwed together in end-toend relationship by means of an externally threaded nipple extending from the upper end of the lower element. Said nipple is also internally formed to receive the screw or bayonet base of a miniature electric lamp, suitable side and center lamp contacts being mounted within said nipple and extended by leads to and through the plugged lower end of said lower element as aforesaid.

The upper end of the upper element may be capped and provided with a draw-string or the like whereby the candle may be elevated from its telescoped position within the cell cluster and the lower end of said lower element may be fitted with a slidable and rotatable collar having diametrically-opposed lugs extending therefrom to engage beneath a top closure plate for the casing of a battery cell assembly.

Of course, the candle may be formed of one piece of plastic provision being made at its upper end for reception of a lamp and a cap therefor and at its lower end for sliding and locking engagement with the battery cell assembly.

tery comprising an internally-insulated, rectangular metal casing having rounded vertical corners and adapted to accommodate the cell cluster described above, conducting connecting strips being provided on an insulating pad, disposed on a dished sheet metal pressure plate or spring member disposed on the bottom of, and within, said casing. The mentioned connecting strips function to establish the series connection in the series-parallel relation of said pairs of cells.

Said top closure plate for said casing is formed with a central opening suitably shaped to receive the lugged collar provided on the lower end of the candle as mentioned above.

The battery cells referred to above may be of primary or secondary type and cylindrical, square or other shape in cross section and, for use as a warning light for vehicular or emergency road purposes, the lamp carrier or standard may embody a flasher device.

Moreover, for certain purposes the cells in the cluster thereof may be series connected throughout.

Referring now to the drawing and the embodiment of the invention there shown, a night light comprises a metal jacket or casing 10 having a separate bottom plate 11 and a top plate 12 adapted to enclose a cluster of four dry cells 13 electrically arranged in series-parallel relationship as an expendable assembly and for use with a nonexpendable candle unit to be described hereinafter.

The expendable assembly described above also includes certain other elements comprising a resilient dished plate or spring member 14 for mechanically pressurizing the circuit elements within jacket 10, an insulation plate 15 having conducting strips 16 thereon for the serial electrical connection of unlike terminals at the lower ends of pairs of cells 13 and upper conducting plates 17 for the sepa- 3 rate parallel electrical connection of pairs of like terminals at the upper ends of the pairs of cells 13.

Each plate 17 is provided with an inwardly and downwardly directed extension 18 adapted electrically to coact with mateable conductors of said candle unit.

The upper plate 12 of the expendable assembly is centrally formed with a bayonet type orifice 12A adapted to co-act with a flanged bayonet plug provided on the candle unit now to be described.

The non-expendable, co-operating unit of the combination comprises a candle tube 20, a conductor carrier tube 21 concentrically disposed within said candle tube, a lamp retainer cap 22 having screw-threaded engagement with the upper end of the candle tube 20, a lamp within said lamp retainer, longitudinally extending spring conductors 23 and 24 disposed in the candle tube 20, and a bayonet plug 25 slidably disposed about candle tube 20 for releasable engagement with the bayonet orifice 12A in the upper plate 12 of the expendable assembly.

In greater detail, the non-expendable unit now being described has been designed for use with a so-called prefocus lamp 26 of which the base 27 is provided, at its upper end, with a locating flange 28 adapted to seat on the upper end of candle tube 20 and be clamped thereagainst by an internal shoulder 29 of the transparent lamp retainer cap 22 with the center contact 30 in electrical contact with the inturned upper end of conductor 23 and the base 27 in electrical contact with the upper end of companion conductor 24.

The assembled position of the upper end of the conductor carrier tube 21, within candle tube 20, is determined by means of a radially disposed pin 31 extending outwardly from tube 21 to abut against the root of a loeating slot 32 extending upwardly from the lower end of candle tube 20, and the conductors 23, 24 are located in dimetrically opposite positions by means of diametrically opposite and longitudinally extending grooves 23A and 24A formed in the inner surface of candle tube 20.

Moreover after being outwardly ofiset at 23B and 243 respectively, the conductors 23 and 24 are bent radially inwards to pass through diametrically opposite apertures 23C and 24C in the lower end of tube 21 which is also formed with diametrically opposite slots 23D and 24D to accommodate inward movement of the lower ends of conductors 23 and 24 when the latter make separate wiping contact with the downward extensions 18 of conducting plates 17 in the expendable assembly. The lower end of candle tube 20 is formed with slots 23E and 24B which correspond vw'th slots 23D and 24D in tube 21.

The bayonet plug 25 on candle tube 20 is formed with a stop flange or shoulder 25A extending outwardly from neck 25B having diametrically opposite bayonet lugs 25C extending outwardly therefrom for coaction with the bayonet orifice 12A in the upper plate 12 of the expendable assembly whereby to assemble the non-expendable unit to the latter.

In use, the non-expendable candle unit will normally be telescoped within the central cavity 13A defined by the cluster of cells 13 in the expendable assembly and with the outwardly offset lower ends 23B and 24B of conductors 23 and 24 out of contact with the extensions 18 of conducting plates 17 but, when it is desired to complete the electrical circuit from cells 13 to illuminate the lamp 26, the candle tube 20 (together with all parts carried thereby) is raised until the outwardly offset portions 23B and 24B of conductors 23 and 24 respectively make electrical contact with the downward extensions 18 of conducting plates 17 in the expendable assembly.

If desired, each of said conductor plates 17 may be provided with a 'downturned locating lug 17A adapted to engage between a related pair of cells 13.

It will be apparent that the specific details of construction of the device of the invention may be changed to suit the convenience of manufacture without departing from the invention. For example, assemblies of parts such as the tubes 20 and 21 may be made in one piece.

What is claimed is:

1. A battery-operated night light comprising, in combination: a container having therein a cluster of battery cells so arranged as to define a central space therebetween and a top cover provided with an opening in alignment with said central space, an electric lamp and a carrier standard therefor in the form of a pair of elongated, concentrically disposed tubes adapted to fit within said central space, one of said pair of concentrically disposed tubes having a pair of longitudinally disposed grooves provided therein in spaced apart relation; a pair of elongated spring conductors mounted within said grooves and extending into electrical connection with the terminals of said electric lamp mounted within the top end of said carrier standard, the bottom end portion of said spring conductors being outwardly elf-set and extending through corresponding longitudinal slots provided within the lower end of the outermost tube of said carrier standard; means for slidably mounting said carrier standard through said aligned opening Within said top cover; and electrical contact means mounted within said container for electrically connecting the opposite terminals of said battery cells and having downwardly directed extension members disposed within said central space and being so arranged as to slidably contact said outwardly off-set portions of said spring conductors when said carrier standard is elevated from a fully nested position within said central space defined by said battery cells, thereby completing a circuit for illuminating said electric lamp.

2. The night light in accordance with claim 1 wherein the electric lamp is mounted within the upper end of the outermost tube of said carrier standard forming an electric socket and wherein a lamp retainer cap is mounted over said electric lamp.

3. A night light in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for slidably mounting said carrier standard within said top cover comprises a bayonet plug locked within the aligned opening in said top cover and having a central opening within which said carrier standard is slidably engaged.

4. A night light in accordance with claim 1 wherein the cluster of battery cells comprises four cells with two pairs connected in parallel and wherein said electrical contact means comprises a pair of electrically conducting plates mounted within the top of the container and connecting the terminals of the parallel-connected pairs of battery cells.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,172,354 2/1916 Grote 240l0.6 2,339,356 1/ 1944 Sachs 240l0.69 2,480,800 8/ 1949 Wickwire 2406.45 3,067,324 12/1962 Thompson 240l0.61 3,147,927 9/1964 Steele et al 240l0.61 X

NORTON ANSI-1BR, Primary Examiner. 

